KEEPINʻ IT KAKAʻAKO: CHUBBIES BURGERS

Occupying the corner stall the Ward and Auahi shopping strip mall, Chubbies has slowly become the go-to burger joint of the Kaka’ako area. Last week, I set out see what the hype is all about.

The small line in front of the truck looked promising. Nestled between a couple of coconut trees and some outdoor dining tables, Chubbies gives off that comforting Hawaii vibe. It’s the kind of place that makes you want to stay.

I order the Classic 50s burger, a side of fries, and the loaded bacon fries. The wait times were manageable. The service staff were quick and responsive. When I picked up my food, I finally understood the hype. The burgers are luxurious, the fries are a must-try, and the loaded fries is an exercise in gluttony. The buns are a light-crisp-on-the-outside-and-fluffy-on-the-inside brioche. The homemade patty was seared to an surface crunch and retained a moist, savory flavor. Fresh tomatoes and butter lettuce balance the grease from the meat. Chubbies signature 50s sauce, which is shares a similar flavor to light mayo, added a bit more body to the burger and rounded out the flavor.

For my sides, I ordered a regular fries and bacon fries. The regular fries, coming in a mini-brown bag with enough to share, were cooked to a golden yellow and perfectly salted. They were the crispy-edges-with-a-fluffy-inside type of fries that one does not stumble upon often. Moving on, the loaded bacon fries is…next-level. Definitely, not a side for the faint of heart. This dish is a healthy serving of standard fries drizzled with the 50s sauce, decked with chunks of bacon, topped with chopped green onions. In fact, the serving of fries were so large that I we shared with everyone back at the Box. One takeaway from this experience is that if there is one way to raise moral around the workplace, itʻs walking around with a mound of fries, and sharing with those around you. I was met with many gracious smiles.